![\"ccs-58780-0-88373500-1488878364.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.bikehub.co.za\/production\/uploads\/2023\/02\/ccs-58780-0-88373500-1488878364.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>The Gravel & Grape Extreme (three-day) and the Gravel & Grape Adventure (two-day) will both take riders on a scenic tour of the Breedekloof Wine Valley. Featuring tyre-testing terrain of the widest variety and goosebump-inducing singletrack, the two events promise to deliver real mountain biking for real mountain bikers. Photo credit: Chris Hitchcock<\/span><\/p>\nWhile the time of year (May), clover-leaf format and close proximity to major centres like Cape Town, Durbanville and Stellenbosch make this three-day event an enticing race option, what really sets Gravel & Grape apart is the route, and the route-building philosophy of the organisers.<\/p>\n
Set in the stunning Breedekloof Wine Valley, the Gravel & Grape aims to maximise the rugged terrain of the area and provide riders with an experience that harks back to a less manicured time. If you like riding, that is, actually picking the smoothest lines, tackling rock gardens, negotiating scrappy descents and winding through swooping single track, then the Gravel & Grape is the perfect ride. It\u2019s a test of technical ability, but also with a warm welcome from the region\u2019s people.<\/p>\n
In a way, the ride pairs perfectly with the region\u2019s pioneering and acclaimed Chenin Blanc initiative. Four years ago Attie Louw from Opstal Winery and a few other winemakers came up with the plan to craft small, boutique productions of chenin blanc in limited volumes. The result is the Breedekloof Makers, a band of like-minded winemakers committed to emphasising the quality of wines being made in the region. The resulting chenin wines are nothing short of phenomenal.<\/p>\n
With Slanghoek Cellar cellar master Pieter Carstens as one of the Breedekloof Makers and part of the Gravel & Grape organisers, that enterprising attitude has been carried over, unsurprisingly, into the mountain bike race. \u201cWe want people to experience the valley and region as it is for us; beautiful, challenging, unique and exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n By involving a number of wine farms into the race, each day offers something different, from the highest peaks to the lowest valley floors. As it is for the chenin grapes, so it will be for the Gravel & Grape riders – on the lower regions of valley the soil is sandy with gigantic river pebbles, while higher up you find broken rock and sandstone. To get you through it all will be expertly carved trail. \u201cMake no mistake, this is an event that will test you, but will also provide warm hospitality and the opportunity to indulge in our award-winning wines after each day\u2019s riding,\u201d says Carsten.<\/p>\n<\/a>Photo credit: Chris Hitchcock<\/span><\/p>\n